


House Hunting

by Hughville, Pyewacket75



Category: House M.D.
Genre: F/M, Reunions, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-23
Packaged: 2019-10-02 14:10:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17265596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hughville/pseuds/Hughville, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pyewacket75/pseuds/Pyewacket75
Summary: It's Christmas and Cameron discovers House is still alive.  She travels to Montreal to visit him and Wilson over Christmas.  Will House accept her or reject her?Written with my partner in crime, Pyewacket75.





	1. Chapter 1

_December, 2018_

The snow fell, as it had all morning morning, while House sat at the piano by the bay window. It was his favorite thing to do lately. Christmas was coming and while he normally hated the holiday, the large log chalet they found and purchased in Montreal, Quebec, seemed to take the sting out of it. Of course, in his opinion, anyplace was better than Princeton. He liked being out in the middle of a forest and though he would never it admit it to Wilson, he loved the wood floors, log walls and rustic beauty of the place. He especially loved his bedroom which had access to the large porch that encircled the chalet. Wilson made good use of the sleek galley kitchen and they both used the large pool table in the den. For now, he sat and played whatever came to mind and enjoyed the added warmth from the large stone fireplace at his back.  
Settling in Montreal was Wilson’s idea. He heard about a special treatment that had success for his kind of cancer and he was willing to give it a try, as it seemed more promising.  
As luck would have it, the treatment did work, and Wilson ended up in complete remission. That was six years ago and there had been no signs of the cancer coming back. He then took a position in the Oncology department at the University medical centre.  
House started an online diagnostic website, much like the one Kutner attempted years ago that turned out to be a financial windfall. It took a few years to get going and even though he had to use an assumed name and credentials, his success rate was still on par.  
He did seek treatment for his leg and discovered muscle regeneration combined with medicinal marijuana which lessened his pain considerably, allowing him to get off the Vicodin. He still used his cane, but his limp was much less pronounced than it used to be.  
Wilson came into the room and smiled at his friend. “Do you want me to put up the tree that we got last week?”  
House continued to play and shrugged. “Whatever you want. It’s fine. I told you that the decorations were your thing. You can do it however and whenever you want. I don’t know why you wanted a tree anyway. You’re a Jew.”  
Wilson smirked. “It just seems like the right thing to do. We’re in Canada, everyone else is decorating…”  
House merely shrugged. “Do what you want, I don’t care.”  
“You should care.”  
“Why?”  
“Maybe it’ll stop you obsessing over Cameron.”  
House’s head shot up and he narrowed his eyes. “What does she have to do with anything?”  
“I know you miss her. You talk about her all the time, even when you’re not aware of it. You need to get over it. She believes you’re dead and she’s most likely gotten over you. I know what you’re thinking and it’s not a good idea.”  
“Oh really? You’re psychic now? Why don’t you enlighten me, O Mighty Wilson?”  
“You want to look her up and tell her you’re alive and well, and that you still have feelings for her.”  
“Well, when you say it like that it just sounds corny,” House muttered.  
***  
Meanwhile, in Chicago, Cameron sat at her desk staring at the computer monitor in a daze. She wasn’t sure how she stumbled upon it, but the Greg Lazarus Diagnostic Medicine website filled the screen.  
She had been searching for answers about a patient in her ER all day and upon a moment of nostalgia, found herself Googling Greg House. She did that every so often because it was comforting just to see pictures of him online.  
As she read the content of the website, the verbiage used was all very familiar. In fact, it was too familiar. It made her heart skip a beat.  
She heard through the grapevine that Wilson was alive. Was it too much to hope that House was, too? She wasn’t sure what to think. She clicked on a few links on the site but there were no pictures of Greg Lazarus anywhere, but the website looked like it was run out of Montreal, Quebec. She knew McGill University, Wilson’s alma mater, was there. Everything clicked into place and she picked up the phone. Finding the number for Wilson, she called, but got his voicemail so she hung up.  
With shaking hands, she went to Expedia’s website and booked herself on a flight to Montreal.  
She had plenty of vacation time and nothing to keep her in Chicago for the holidays. Her ex-husband had custody of their son and they planned to spend the holidays with his family. She was still bitter about it all. Since her former husband opted to stay home to raise their son while she went back to work, the court awarded him full custody and ordered her to pay him alimony and child support. Paying for all her son’s expenses didn’t bother her but paying alimony to that cheating sack of shit she married galled her to no end. The fact his live-in girlfriend spent more time with Cameron’s son made her even angrier but there was nothing she could do about it.  
So, some time in Canada hunting for House would be a good distraction. If nothing else, she could see Wilson and spend time with him reminiscing about House.  
She decided to call the hospital again and got his message service.  
“I’m trying to reach Dr. James Wilson.”  
_“He’s out of the office until tomorrow. I can take a message and send it on.”_  
“That would be great. My name is Dr. Allison Cameron and I’m an old friend of Dr. Wilson’s. I was hoping to locate him. We used to work together back in Princeton years ago and...”  
_“Oh, well I’ll see to it he gets the message as soon as possible. Do you have a number where he can reach you?”_  
Cameron gave her cell number, thanked the woman and hung up. Then she went home and started packing.  
***  
It was later in the evening when the call came in and Wilson answered it. “You have a message for me?”  
_“Yes Dr. Wilson, I’m sorry to bother you at home, but someone named Dr. Allison Cameron called looking for you.”_  
“Did she leave a number?”  
After getting the number, Wilson hung up and called Cameron. She picked up on the second ring.  
_“Wilson?”_  
“Bonjour,” he said in a cheery tone. “Never thought I’d hear from you again.”  
_“I was having a moment of nostalgia_ ,” she chuckled. _“How are you?”_  
“I’m good. Is it snowing there?”  
_“Yep. Snowing as we speak.”_  
“Here too. So what can I do for you?”  
_“Oh, well I was looking to get away for the holidays and like I said, I had a pang of nostalgia…_ ”  
“I thought you were married...with a son…”  
“ _Were is correct_ ,” she sighed. “ _Our son lives with his dad now. They’ll be spending Christmas with his family._ ”  
“I’m sorry to hear that. Well, you’re welcome to come stay here. We have a place outside of town and…”  
“ _We?_ ”  
Wilson silently cursed himself.  
“ _Are you there?_ ”  
“Yeah. Sorry, I misspoke. Sometimes I have company.”  
Her heart leapt into her throat but she cleared it and decided not to press the issue. She was more than sure now that we pertained to himself and House.  
“ _Are you sure I won’t be in the way? I could easily just get a hotel and…._ ”  
“No, no, it’s fine. There are a couple of guest rooms and this place is huge.” _Maybe I should get a hotel_ , he thought to himself. He knew that it would only be a matter of time before she and House would hook up, and he didn’t want to catch the live show.  
“ _Well...if you’re sure. I don’t want to intrude._ ”  
“Not at all. It’ll be great to see you. We can reminisce.”  
She laughed. “ _Oh yeah, I’m sure we will. Well, I need to get going. I managed to get a flight out tomorrow_.”  
“What time? I can meet you at the airport.”  
“ _Oh, you don’t have to do that…_ ”  
“It’s no problem. I’m working reduced hours this week for the holidays and the airport isn’t too far from the hospital.”  
“ _Well, if you’re sure._ ”  
“Positive.”  
“ _Okay then. My flight arrives at three in the afternoon._ ”  
“Great. I’ll be there. G’night, Cameron.” Wilson ended the call and sighed. He wouldn’t tell House about it. It would be a surprise. He just hoped it would be well received.


	2. Chapter 2

Cameron entered the busy terminal with a rolling suitcase and a laptop bag slung over one shoulder. She looked up at the Departures board and saw her flight to Dallas was late which meant all her connecting flights could be jeopardized. As she went through security, a guard pulled her out of line and patted her down. She was a sweaty, husky woman in her late fifties. As the guard ran her hands over her, Cameron bit back a smile. House would find this all very amusing. She would have to remember to tell him about it when she saw him. There was no doubt in her mind that he was with Wilson. Finally, she made her way toward her gate. She checked in and sat down. Taking out her laptop, she opened up House’s online clinic. She’d toyed with the idea of sending him a question and decided to just do it. She quickly typed the question in and closed her laptop before she could change her mind. Then she sat and waited to board the plane.  
\-------------------------  
House sat down at the desk in his bedroom and opened up his laptop. He clicked on the tab for his online clinic and scrolled through the questions. Some were so inane he rolled his eyes and resisted the temptation to tell the people asking them they were idiots. Then one caught his eye.  
_What can cause symptoms that resemble Lupus? There are termites._  
He stared at the question and the clue for a long time. There was no name and no IP address. His heart began to thump hard in his chest. It was Cameron. It had to be Cameron. He thought back to the patient they had when he was detoxing to win a bet with Cuddy. Cameron was convinced the boy had Lupus and even told the father his son had it. The father punched House when he stopped the liver transplant. House knew the boy couldn’t have Lupus but Cameron refused to back down. It was one of the rare times in her early days that she stood up to him.  
With a slight smile, he began to type.  
\-------------------------  
Cameron ran down the concourse to catch her flight from Atlanta to New Jersey. She heard her computer ding indicating she had a message but didn’t slow down. She’d look at it once she got on the plane. After she boarded and put her bag in the overhead compartment, she pulled her laptop from its bag. She opened it and saw a message from House’s online clinic.Her heart beat fast and her breathing accelerated as she read the reply.  
_If there are termites, then it can’t be Lupus. It’s naphthalene poisoning. Besides, it’s never Lupus until it is._  
She smiled broadly as she typed out her reply.  
\-------------------------  
House waited impatiently for Cameron to reply. What the hell could she be doing that would take so long? He sent her the message almost thirty minutes ago.  
Somehow, he knew she’d find him. He didn’t care if she was married and had ten kids, he missed her. He didn’t regret giving up everything for Wilson. He’d do again if he had to but he missed Cameron. When he heard her speak at his memorial service, he almost called her. In the end, he didn’t. This time she reached out to him. He wasn’t going to let her get away this time, if he could help it. Finally, his computer dinged and he looked at the message. He laughed as he read it.  
_Did a cat tell you that? Or perhaps a magician told you._  
\-------------------------  
Cameron arrived at Customs in the airport in Montreal when her computer dinged. She didn’t have time to do anything about it. She would have to tell House in person.  
Wilson was waiting for her at the curb. He looked better than she remembered. His hair was grey at the temples, he wore glasses and there were a few lines around his eyes but he looked happy and rested. Opening his arms, he enfolded her in a hug. The smell of wood smoke and pine clung to him. He pulled back and smiled at her.  
“I like your hair,” he told her as he took her bag and put it in the back seat.  
She touched a few shoulder length strands as he opened the passenger door for her. “Thanks,” she smiled.  
“How was your flight?” he asked as he drove away from the airport.  
“You mean _flights_? Horrible,” she laughed. “Because I booked so late I had to go from Chicago to Dallas to Atlanta to Newark and then here. I got a real workout running to catch each flight.”  
He nodded but suddenly seemed distracted. She just got comfortable and waited. It wasn’t until they were deep in the forest driving along a narrow two lane road that he cleared his throat.  
“House is alive,” he said finally.  
“I know.”  
Wilson turned to her with a look of shock. A deer leapt into the middle of the road.  
“DEER!” she yelled.  
He veered and narrowly missed hitting it.  
“How did you know?” he asked.  
She shrugged. “I found his website.”  
Wilson sighed and kept his attention on the road. “I told him that would get him in trouble.”  
“I’m not going to tell anyone,” she assured him. “I don’t talk to anyone from PPTH. The last time I saw anyone from there was at House’s…”  
“Fake memorial service?”  
She smiled and nodded. “I noticed Cuddy wasn’t there. Chase told me all the gory details. Honestly, I’m surprised they stayed together as long as they did.”  
“So I guess Chase told you why she broke up with him?”  
Cameron nodded. “As a doctor, she should know most addicts slip.” She shook her head. “He was never going to be good enough for her. Her expectations were unrealistic.”  
“Well, he doesn’t know you’re coming,” he said as he pulled up to a massive two story log chalet. “So, don’t be surprised if he wants you to leave. You don’t have to, but just be prepared. He likes being alone out here.”  
“He won’t get rid of me that easily.”


	3. Chapter 3

House heard Wilson’s car pull up so he got up and looked out the window. A woman with shoulder length blonde hair got out and looked up. He quickly stepped aside so she wouldn’t see him. The room began to spin when he realized it was Cameron.  
He could barely contain his excitement but took some deep breaths to calm himself. He would play it cool and be nonchalant, even though every fibre of his being was tuned into the fact that all he really wanted to do was be alone with her. He wondered then how he’d get rid of Wilson, but little did he know that Wilson had made plans to make himself scarce.  
House was making his way downstairs when they came in through the front door, laughing as he approached. “Another one, Wilson? What have I told you about bringing home strays? Oh!” he said, pretending to be startled when he saw Cameron, “well, what do we have here?”  
She smiled at him, trying to keep her excitement in check as well, because damn, he looked amazing. His eyes were the usual blazing blue they always were and he looked like he’d filled out a little. He also wasn’t limping as much and she wondered about that.  
“Hi, House,” she said, noticing how her voice seemed a little breathless and tried to calm herself. But it was futile.  
House was also waging his own internal war. “So, you’ve found me out,” he said in an ominous tone. Then he looked conspiratorially at Wilson. “Should we put her in the dungeon and torture her so she doesn’t tell?”  
Cameron giggled and walked up to him. “Your secret is safe with me. I’m digging your new last name, by the way. Very apropos.”  
“I thought so too.”  
Without a word, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. “I’ve been waiting to do this all day,” she whispered. _God, he still smelled the same_ , she thought as she closed her eyes, savoring the moment. She tried not to melt into him when he wrapped one arm around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. Wilson watched with amusement, and even envy. Why couldn’t he find love like that?  
He cleared his throat and felt the need to give them some privacy. Good thing he already had plans to leave that night.  
“Yes, well, on that note, I’m going to head out. I have a long drive ahead of me. Thankfully it’s not supposed to snow anymore tonight,” he said with a smile.  
House and Cameron broke apart and he cocked his head to one side. “Wait, you’re going? Where?”  
“Oh, didn’t I tell you? I’m going to see my parents. They’ve recently moved to Vermont, and that’s only a three hour drive from here. If I leave now, I can be there after dinner.”  
“But…” House protested.  
Wilson held his hand up. “Relax, House. I went grocery shopping and chopped more firewood. There’s enough food to last you a week in case you get snowed in. You’ll be fine. The SUV has snow tires and all-wheel drive if you do need to venture out.”  
“You’re going to be gone a week?”  
“Possibly.”  
“So you’re not going to be here for Christmas?”  
“Probably not. Your presents are all wrapped and in the hall closet so you can put them under the tree.”  
“Oh, well in that case,” House said as he went off into the study and came back with a couple of wrapped gifts. “Here, you can take these with you, then.”  
Wilson grinned. “Thanks, House.”  
When he went to his room, House followed and wagged his finger in his friend’s face. “You planned this whole thing, didn’t you?”  
“Which part?”  
“Cameron. Conveniently going to your parents as soon as she gets here.”  
“Actually I didn’t know Cameron was coming out here until yesterday and I didn’t want to be a third wheel so I decided to pay my parents a much needed visit. It made sense to go now. I was going to go there for New Years but this worked out better. So have fun and try to behave yourselves.”  
House snickered at that as Wilson zipped his suitcase closed and heaved it off the bed.  
“Well, so far this is the best Christmas ever. So, thanks.”  
“Don’t thank me, thank Cameron for having the foresight to look you up. Otherwise we’d be doing what we always do on Christmas; ordering Chinese food and watching porn.”  
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”  
Wilson smirked. “Well now you and Cameron can make your own porn. Oh, and if you need condoms, they’re in my bathroom cabinet.”  
House chuckled, remembering he spoke those same words before his disaster date with Cameron. “Duly noted.”  
They came back out and Cameron was in the kitchen pouring herself a cup of coffee that House had made earlier.  
“The guest room is just down the hall,” Wilson told Cameron. “I’ll show you.” He took her suitcase and she followed him to the large room at the back of the house that had a view of the snowy mountains.  
“You’ll be okay?” he asked, needing some kind of reassurance he was doing the right thing by leaving her alone with House.  
“Yeah, I’ll be fine, Wilson. Go and enjoy yourself. Don’t worry about House. I’ll take _extra_ good care of him,” she said with a sassy grin.  
“I have no doubt,” he grinned back. “I’m glad you’re here. He was getting downright grumpy because he’s felt shut in due to all the snow we’ve been having lately.”  
“I’ll keep him entertained,” she smiled.  
“I’m sure you will.”  
After packing the car with his stuff and saying a final goodbye, House and Cameron watched their friend drive off.  
“Are you hungry? I was going to start dinner,” House said, “before you and Wilson showed up.”  
“Yeah, I could eat. They don’t serve food on the plane, save for a small bag of pretzels or a cookie. I had to run across the terminals between each flight just to make it on time so I didn’t have time to grab anything eat.”  
“God, you must be starving,” he said with a roll of his eyes as they went to the kitchen and he got things out of the fridge. “Spaghetti work for you?”  
“Yeah, that’s fine.”  
Cameron went to her room to unpack and change. She chose jeans, a red sweater and black boots. After a quick shower to wash the grime off from the various airports, she got dressed and followed the smell of spaghetti and garlic bread to the kitchen.  
House stood at the stove stirring the sauce. In another pan, the pasta water bubbled.  
“Dump in the pasta,” he told her nodding to a pile of homemade noodles.  
“Did you make all this?” she asked as she dropped it all in the boiling water.  
“Yeah,” he told her. “Stir it and take it out after three minutes. Hope you didn’t want salad. I am diametrically opposed to it.”  
Cameron laughed. “I’m okay with this and the garlic bread. You aren’t diametrically opposed to wine are you?”  
“Not in theory,” he said as he grabbed the pot with the pasta and dumped it in the drainer sitting in the sink.  
Cameron stood back and watched as he then combined the pasta and sauce.  
“I read your reply to my last message,” she told him.  
Looking over his shoulder at her, he smirked. “I knew it was you from the first message. That case was the first time you stood up to me.”  
“But it wasn’t the last,” she replied with a smile.  
He turned back to the stove and stirred the pasta and sauce. Then he grabbed a block of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and grated it over the top of the spaghetti before stirring it in. Cameron was aware of a shift in his mood and she wasn’t sure why. Something was wrong but she wasn’t sure what it was. He was fine earlier and now he wasn’t. She’d known him long enough to tell the difference.  
“Go to the dining room,” he told her. “It’s through there.” He nodded toward the table and chairs in the next room. “Wine is on the table.”  
Cameron went into the dining room and sat down. She poured herself a glass of wine as House walked in carrying two plates piled with spaghetti and garlic bread. He set one down in front of her and the sat down across from her. She poured him some wine and they began to eat.  
“This is delicious,” Cameron told him as she wiped sauce off her chin.  
House grunted.  
“What's wrong?” she asked as she broke off a bite of bread.  
“Nothing.”  
“House.”  
He sighed. “Does the hubby and kid know you’re here taking a walk down memory lane?”  
She shrugged and ate the bread. “Don’t have a hubby anymore and the kid is with the ex.”  
“Another divorce?”  
She stabbed her fork into her pasta. “Trust me, it wasn’t my idea.”  
“Never was.”  
Closing her eyes, she counted to ten. How typical of him to bait her. Opening her eyes, she wound some of the sauce coated strands around her fork.  
“Heard from Cuddy lately?” she asked as she continued to eat.  
House laughed mirthlessly. “Good one.”  
She pushed away from the table and picked up her wine. “I’m going to go to my room to read for awhile. Thanks for dinner.”  
House slumped in his chair as she walked out.


	4. Chapter 4

An hour later, Cameron finished her book and her wine. She went to get another glass and noticed the table was cleared and the kitchen clean. The bottle of wine was on the counter so she poured more in her glass. She wandered through the empty rooms looking for House but he was nowhere to be found. Getting her coat, hat and mittens, she put them on and took her wine out onto the porch. A full moon peeked through clouds and snowflakes fell gently. It was quiet and peaceful. Cameron understood why House and Wilson chose to live there. She took a sip of her wine and walked along admiring the view. She rounded a corner and saw House sitting in a hot tub. The steamy water lapped at his chin as snowflakes drifted down around him. He opened his eyes and looked at her.  
“Sorry,” she told him. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”  
He sat up as the moon suddenly appeared and silvered light shone on his wet skin. “You aren’t interrupting,” he told her. “Come sit down.”  
She walked over to the chairs beside the hot tub. It was warmer there and she sat down pulling her legs up. She sipped her wine and House held out his hand.  
“Don’t hog _all_ the wine,” he smirked.  
Laughing, she handed him the glass and wrapped her arms around her legs. He slipped down in the water and took a sip of wine. The moon disappeared behind the clouds again and the only light came from the hot tub.  
“Sorry for being an ass earlier,” he said softly. “I didn’t expect you to show up.”  
She nodded. “Sorry for the Cuddy remark.”  
“So, why are you divorced?” he asked with genuine interest as he handed the glass back to her. “One sip then I get it back,” he admonished. “I know how you like your wine.”  
She took the glass, took a sip and handed it back to him. “You can have the rest,” she told him.  
He nodded.  
“Husband number three cheated on me with a woman he met at a playdate,” she told him. “Since I made more money than him, we decided he should stay home with our son.” She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Even though he was cheating on me, he got custody, child support and alimony. He’s living with his playdate and her kid. The don’t plan to get married because neither of them work.”  
House drained the wine glass and put it on the edge of the hot tub. “Those deadbeats deserve each other, then. He’s an asshole and she’s a whore. Do you get to see the kid?”  
“Every other weekend and alternate holidays.”  
“That sucks. I thought women always got custody of the little ankle biters.”  
She shook her head. “Not always. I work too much.”  
“That sounds suspiciously like something you were told.”  
She nodded. “I’m the head of a hospital in Chicago so I told them I could arrange my hours to be available for…”  
Cameron bit her lip and looked away.  
House barked out a laugh. “You did _not_ name your kid Gregory!”  
She smiled ruefully. “We both liked the name.”  
“So mini Greg lives with cheating daddy and only sees you occasionally. That sucks.”  
“Yes it does.”  
House sank down farther in the water and tilted his face up.  
“You’re not limping as much,” she commented.   
He closed his eyes.  
Cameron shook her head. “You also haven’t changed much.”  
He smiled. “Did the muscle regeneration thing and switched out the Vicodin for medicinal marijuana. It’s legal here, you know. Even the good stuff.”  
“I heard. So how’s the pain?”  
“The pain is alive and well. Thanks for asking.”  
Cameron laughed. “Is the pain as bad as it always was?”  
“Eh. It comes and goes. The hot water and jets help.”  
“That’s good.”  
They sat in silence and Cameron watched the snow fall. Finally, House pushed himself up and she had to suppress a gasp. His body was toned and firm. The water ran over his muscles as he hoisted himself out of the tub. He grabbed a thick robe and put it on as he pushed his feet into slippers.  
“Come inside,” he told her as he grabbed his cane. “I’m done out here.”  
She stood and followed him in. He went into his bedroom and she followed. It was decorated in muted shades of blue and grey. She went over to his bedside table and looked through the pile of books. Then she sat down on the bed and took her coat, hat and mittens off. He stood at the foot of the bed watching her.  
“I need to change,” he told her.  
She shrugged. “So change. I’ll wait for you in the den.”  
He narrowed his eyes as she left the room and then removed his robe. Then he went to the dresser and pulled out flannel pajama pants, a t-shirt and thick socks.   
A large flat screen television was mounted above the fireplace in the den where Cameron sat, watching the flames. House sat down on the brown leather couch and reached for the remote.  
“You sleeping alone or with me?” he asked, out of the blue.  
“Depends,” she said softly.  
He turned his head to look at her. “Didn’t you come here to sleep with me?”  
She shrugged. “Are we going to watch TV or not?”  
He blinked and continued to channel surf. “I guess we’re going to watch TV.”  
\-------------------------  
It was after midnight and Cameron was curled up against House. He had his arm around her and the warmth and weight of her against his side felt good and right. It also scared the hell out of him.   
But he tried not to let that bother him. She was there now and he hoped she would stay.   
“Cameron,” he said softly as he nudged her. “I gotta get up and check the thermostat. It’s freezing.”  
She mumbled something and moved away from him, allowing him to get up. It had been acting up for weeks and he knew it was only a matter of time before it would quit entirely. When he came back to the den she was sitting up. “Is it working?”  
“No. Come to my room. It’s warmer and I have a small fireplace in there.”  
“Okay,” she said and followed him upstairs.  
Once they were in bed, she curled up against him once more and they quickly fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

In the morning, the smell of coffee roused him from sleep and he rolled over to find Cameron gone from his bed. He buried his nose in her pillow and breathed in her scent before finally getting up. The cabin was still cold so he threw on a hoodie and went downstairs to find her cooking breakfast. She wore her coat, a knitted cap and kept holding her hands over the heat coming from the stove top.   
It was even colder than it was the night before so House decided to call the furnace company. Cameron watched as he spoke to the person who answered the phone. When he hung up, she bit her lip to hide a smile and turned back to the stove.  
“They can’t get out here until January second,” he growled. “They’ll find us frozen and dead before then.”  
Cameron bent to take two dishes out of the oven. “There are fireplaces and plenty of wood. We’ll be fine.”  
She placed scrambled eggs, bacon and toast on both plates and started to carry them to the dining room.  
“Den,” he told her. “It’s warmer in there.”  
“Bring the coffee,” she told him.  
“You made the coffee?” he asked suspiciously as he pulled the hood of his hoodie up over his head. “Did you tamper with the furnace? Because it seems like you’re trying to kill us.”  
“I learned to make coffee,” she informed him as she put the food down on the coffee table. “Oh, I forgot forks.”  
House sat down and put the insulated coffee pot between the plates. “Bring mugs and sugar!” he called out.  
The fire was burning low so he tramped outside and brought in more wood. Once the fire was crackling again, he and Cameron sat down to eat.  
“Smart to warm the plates,” he commented between bites.  
“I took a course in cooking,” she replied as she turned on the television.  
“Good to know. You can do all the cooking. Place needs a good cleaning, too.”  
“I did not come here to be your maid,” she told him acerbically.  
“May as well earn your keep. Can you move my mattress in here?”  
“You have a king size bed!”  
“What’s your point?” he asked. “Either you can move it or you can’t. This is the warmest room in the whole place. It has the TV and it’s close to the all the food you’re going to cook me.”  
Suddenly she laughed.  
“I’m serious,” he told her indignantly.  
“I know. I just forgot how bossy you are.”  
“Because I’m your boss.”  
“ _Were_ ,” she corrected.  
They both fell silent. House remembered the last time he saw her; quiet, tearful, and so hurt. When he refused to shake her hand, she’d placed a soft kiss on his cheek and walked out of his life. He heard she came back at one point but he didn’t see her. Now she was sitting beside him watching a talk show as she ate her breakfast. Most women would complain about the lack of heat and leave to stay in a hotel. She didn’t. She made the best of the situation just as she always did. The only time she ever complained was when a patient was at risk. He snuck a glance at her. She looked relaxed as she ate. The chill in the room added a bit of color to her cheeks and nose. Why did he let her leave? He shook his head and finished eating.  
“So can you move the mattress or not?” he asked.  
Cameron just shook her head.  
That afternoon she not only moved his mattress into the den, she went down into the basement and found one portable heater. She set that up in the bathroom. Then she brought in a cord of firewood and stacked it around the fireplace.  
“When did you get to be so useful?” House asked when she finally sat down beside him on the couch.  
She ignored him and took the coffee mug he held. He squawked in protest as she drank it.  
“I was always useful,” she told him as she handed him the mug.   
He grunted as he looked down into his empty mug.  
“Why did you do it?” she asked.  
“Do what?”  
“Fake your death.”  
“Oh,” he complained. “I don’t want to deal with Counselor Cameron.”  
“Why?” she persisted.  
House blew out a breath. “Fine. Wilson was dying and I violated my parole-”  
“I know all about that. Why did you give up your whole life to spend a few months with Wilson?”  
“The truth?” he asked.  
“Are you capable of telling it?” she countered.  
He made a face. “Har har.”  
She shifted on the couch so she faced him. He sighed loudly.  
“I hated working for Foreman,” he began. “I couldn’t make any other relationship in my life work. Wilson was always there for me. I was going back to jail and he might have been dead by the time I got out. If he died, then I was alone. If he died, I had no life. It was the easiest decision I ever made.”  
Cameron looked down. “You’re lucky to have him and he’s lucky to have you. I’m glad he survived.”  
“And now you’re here. Why? It isn’t just to avoid being alone during this most festive time of year,” he told her.  
She drew her hands up into the sleeves of her coat and hunched her shoulders. He watched her and waited.  
“I don’t have a Wilson. I don’t really have my son. I like my job but I miss working for you. I miss solving the puzzle and treating patients. I’m lonely. I don’t want to get married again so I don’t date. I’m lonely and I missed you.”  
Tentatively he reached out and lifted her chin. He stared at the freckles scattered across her nose and cheeks.  
“You don’t have to be lonely anymore if you don’t want to be,” he told her. “And Wilson is a poor substitute for a lover.”  
She licked her lips. Heat coursed through him and his breathing and heartbeat quickened. He saw her pupils dilate and noticed her breathing change.  
‘What do you mean by that?” she whispered.  
“You have me now,” he said softly.  
“Do I?”  
He closed the space between them and kissed her gently. She responded briefly before pulling away. She lowered her head and he leaned back.  
“So, what did you get me for Christmas?” he asked.  
She began to laugh and he relaxed.  
“Nothing,” she told him. “I wasn’t sure you’d actually be here.”  
“Well, since I didn’t know you were coming, I don’t have anything for you. So I guess I have to drive us into town to do some shopping.”  
She smiled widely at him. “I guess you do.”  
They got dressed and he drove them into town. As he parked, Cameron pulled on her gloves.  
“What is this place called?”  
“Downtown Montreal,” he told her. “You can see the St. Lawrence River over there. Watch out for the ice.”  
Once they were out of the car, they began to walk along St. Catherines Street.  
“Hope your French is good,” he said.  
“Good enough,” she told him. “We should split up and meet back at the car in about an hour.”  
“Works for me.”  
She crossed the street and House continued on. When they met up at the car, she had several bags which she put in the backseat. He’d already hidden his bags where she couldn’t find them.  
“Ready?” he asked once they were in and had their seat belts on.  
She smiled and nodded.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Cameron uses a very derogatory term sometimes used to describe women. it starts with a c and ends with a t. You have been warned.

When they got back to the chalet, it was freezing and the fire had gone out in the den.  
“We need to get the fire going again,” he said as he went to the wood pile and tossed a couple of logs in before striking a match. Cameron brought her bags in and hid them in her bedroom. House was tending to the fire when she returned.  
“What do you want for lunch?”  
He shrugged. “Something hot. There’s probably some soup.”  
Cameron went into the kitchen and found a can of creamy potato bacon soup. Ten minutes later she called him to eat. “Soup’s on.”  
House came into the kitchen and sat down at the table where Cameron put a bowl of soup in front of him.  
He took a few spoonfuls and groaned. “MMmm...so good.”  
“Yeah it is.”  
After lunch, it started to snow again. “Ever been in a hot tub while the snow is falling?” he asked her.  
“Not that I can remember.”  
“Well then you haven’t lived. Get your suit on. Unless you’re into skinny dipping, and if so, then I’m all for that.”  
Cameron smirked. “It’s minus twenty out there!”  
“So? It’s not minus twenty in the hot tub.”  
“I’m not getting naked in the hot tub,” she said sternly. “I’ll meet you out there. Bring the wine.”  
House was already in the hot tub when she came out in a thick terry cloth robe. She shed it quickly, revealing a floral bikini. She took his hand and stepped into the tub. Neither of them acknowledged the sexual spark when their fingers touched.  
Once she was settled in the warm, swirling water with a glass of wine, Cameron looked out at the snow falling around them.  
“I could get used to this,” she commented.  
House leaned his head back and caught a snowflake on his tongue. “I am used to it.”  
She sipped her wine and watched him. He squirmed a bit under her unwavering gaze.  
“What?” he asked in exasperation. “Can’t we just sit out here and enjoy this without you picking at me?”  
“Nope,” she replied as she put her glass on the edge of the tub.  
“Fine,” he sighed. “Pick away. Be warned, though, that I might ignore you.”  
“How about a trade?”  
His eyes widened and he drained his glass before setting it next to Cameron’s. “Intriguing. Go on.”  
“You answer my question and you can ask me anything.”  
He raised an eyebrow. “Anything? Personal, humiliating, embarrassing?”  
She nodded.  
He stretched his legs out so that she was trapped between them. “Ask away.”  
“Why did you drive your car into Cuddy’s house?”  
He tipped his head back and closed his eyes. After several minutes, he lifted his head and looked at her. She could see that all teasing was gone from his face. He was more serious than she’d ever seen him.  
“Let me ask you a question,” he began.  
Cameron nodded. “Okay.”  
“Say we were dating and you got sick. Scary sick. Possibly cancer sick. What would you do if I took a Vicodin after being clean for nearly a year? And when you admitted you loved me would you say you wish you didn’t?”  
“Well, to begin with, I wouldn’t say I loved you but wished I didn’t. That’s just a terrible way to say it. It’s like saying I love you despite the fact you’re an unloveable creep. As for the other, you were scared and most addicts slip. I’d help you get back on track.”  
“You wouldn’t tell me I always put myself first and that I wasn’t really there for you?”  
“She did not say that to you,” Cameron whispered. “No one is that cruel.”  
He nodded. “She did. Said I use the Vicodin and my sarcasm to keep people at arm’s length so I won’t feel pain. Said when you love someone you open yourself up to their problems and their fears. Apparently I didn’t do that for her.”  
“If you truly loved her, you would have done that. If she loved you, she wouldn’t have done the things she did to you,” Cameron said. “Did you love her? Love her like you did Stacy?”  
House sat and stared out at the trees and the snow falling. Cameron waited.  
“I wanted to,” he said finally. “I tried to. Tried to be who she wanted me to be.”  
“Well, I think I understand why you were hurt and angry. But you aren’t violent. Why did you drive your car into her house? Everyone I talked to said she and some guests were in the room you drove into.”  
House hung his head and swirled his hands through the water. “She was with another man. She’d moved on. I don’t even remember doing it. One minute I was in my car and then I was on a beach.”  
Cameron muttered something and House raised his head.  
“What did you just say?” he asked with wide eyes.  
“She’s a selfish cunt,” Cameron said through gritted teeth.  
His eyes got wider. “I don’t even call women that. Impressive.”  
She flicked some water at him. “Your turn.”  
“Why did you call Chase?”  
Cameron sighed heavily. She knew what he was referring to. That night so long ago when she got high on a patient’s confiscated drugs and called Chase with the sole intention of having sex.  
“I thought there would be no emotional attachment,” she told him. “I didn’t love him and I thought he didn’t love me. What I didn’t know was that he was attracted to me.” She stretched her legs out so her feet rested on the seat next to his thighs. “I just wanted to have sex.”  
House stared at her. “No woman just wants to have sex.”  
“I did. I really thought he’d say no that first time considering how high I was but he didn’t.”  
“Chase’s morals are questionable at best. He had his moments but they were few and far between,” House told her.  
“Well, I know that now. I have terrible taste in men.”  
“You liked me,” House said indignantly.  
She smiled and shrugged.  
He reached under the water and pinched her toes.  
“Ow!” she laughed.  
He slid to her side of the tub, ran his hands up to her calves and pressed his fingers into her firm muscles. She twisted slightly and began to massage his foot. Warmth rushed through him at her touch. He could tell he was having a similar effect on her. Her nipples strained against the wet material of her bikini top beneath the water. Grasping her legs, he pulled her forward until she sat on his lap. He slid one hand up her back to her neck, pulled her forward and pressed a kiss against her jaw. She moaned softly as his lips moved down her throat. Her hands tangled in his hair as she kissed the side of his neck. He untied her bikini top and let it float away on the water. Dipping his head, he took one taut nipple into his mouth. She dug her nails into his scalp and thrust up against him. He kissed his way back up to her mouth. Her mouth opened beneath is and their tongues tangled. Leaning back, he looked at her dilated eyes and flushed cheeks.  
“Let's take this inside,” he breathed.  
She nodded and kissed him again.


	7. Chapter 7

Once inside, House noticed the fire had died out in the den again. Cameron stood beside him in her bathrobe shivering. He looked at her and sighed.  
“Kind of puts a damper on things, doesn’t it?” she said through chattering teeth.  
“Yeah,” he responded dully. “Go shower and I’ll get the fire going.”  
She practically raced to the bathroom. A moment later he heard the shower running. He limped over to the pile of wood stacked on the hearth and placed several logs in the fireplace. Within minutes he had a roaring fire going so he went to his room and changed. When he came back to the den, Cameron was wrapped in a thick robe holding her hands out to the warmth of the fire.  
House eased himself down beside her and watched the flames dance over the wood.  
“Are you married?” she asked suddenly.  
House grunted. “Kind of hard to be married when you’re dead.”  
“But you got married soon after Cuddy broke up with you, right?”  
“She needed a green card and I needed a maid.”  
Cameron shifted so she could look at him. “You didn’t do it to get back at Cuddy?”  
House leaned forward and grabbed a stick from the pile of kindling. He began to peel the bark off it.  
“Here’s what I think,” Cameron began and House groaned. “I think you saw Cuddy as your last chance at any kind of relationship and when she broke up with you, you decided to get back at her. You wanted to hurt her the way she hurt you.” She paused and took the stick from House. “So you married a hooker who wanted to stay in the States.”  
House snatched the stick back from her. “She was actually a massage therapist not a hooker. She was also a damn good cook.”  
“You liked her.”  
House nodded. “She was nice, fun and a good distraction. I never slept with her, though.”  
Cameron sat with her legs drawn up against her chest and rested her chin on her knees. She wrapped her arms around her legs and House knew she was thinking.  
“Oh, my God!” she suddenly exclaimed. “You’re still married!”  
“Like I just said, it’s kind of hard to be married when you’re dead,” he told her as he tossed the stick on the fire.  
“But you aren’t really dead so you’re still married!”  
“Oh, Jesus,” he groaned running a hand over his face. “Is this going to be a thing with you?”  
“I don’t know. Normally I would never sleep with a married man.”  
“But…” House said encouragingly.  
“I don’t know,” she confessed. “I need to think about this. And I’m really hungry.” She stood up in one fluid motion. “I’ll go fix dinner.”  
House fell back on the mattress and flung an arm over his eyes. “Fuck my life,” he grumbled.  
They didn’t speak much while they ate leftover spaghetti and watched television. Cameron left to clean up the kitchen and House went to take a shower. He stood under the hot spray for a long time. He finally had a chance with Cameron and her insane moral compass was ruining things. He knew she would never sleep with him now that she knew he was technically married. He knew he could argue with her about it until the end of time but she would end up doing what she felt was right. He both admired that about her and hated that about her. When he finally emerged from his bedroom dressed in sweats and thick socks, he found her curled on her side, buried under the down comforter sound asleep. He turned off the television, put more wood on the fire and laid down next to her. As he got comfortable, she rolled over and pressed up against him. He shifted so he was facing her, put an arm around her and closed his eyes.  
\-------------------------  
The fire died once again and House got up to throw some more logs into the hearth and struck another match.  
Cameron stirred and opened her eyes when he returned to the bed on the floor and pulled the comforter over them once more.  
“What time’s it?” she murmured.  
“A little after three. Go back to sleep.”  
“Mmm...it’s cold.”  
“I know. Wanna get naked?”  
Her eyes snapped open again. “You can’t be serious.”  
“You know as well as I do that body heat works better when you’re naked.”  
“You just want to get me naked,” she laughed.   
“Yeah, and??” He gave her one of his sexiest smiles that melted most women.   
“Fine. But I’m not sleeping with you.”  
“Cameron…”  
“House...you’re married.”  
He groaned loudly and rolled over onto his back, throwing his arm across his eyes. “It was a sham. And it was never consummated, therefore, if I wanted to, I could have it annulled in a second. According to official documents, I’m legally dead, therefore, Dominika is no longer married and she’s not coming back. She had a boyfriend when we were married. She could be remarried by now for all I know.”  
“But what if you were found out? Then if she is married that marriage is no longer valid--”  
“Now you’re just reaching. I don’t know what else to say. It’s over and done and using that as an excuse not to have sex is weak.”  
“But…”  
“Cameron…” House said as he placed his hand under her chin and tilted it up so she was looking at him. “Let it go..”  
He bent his head and kissed her, softly brushing his lips against hers. She responded tentatively at first but then her hands slid up his chest and wrapped around his neck. Her fingers played with his hair as the kiss intensified.  
“MMm….House,” she murmured against his lips. His scruff tickled her skin as he kissed a trail down the side of her neck.  
“Mmm?”   
“Feels so good.”  
“ _You_ feel good.”  
When his hand slid under her shirt and caressed her bare breast, she gasped. “Don’t stop.”  
“I have no intention of stopping. Ever.”  
With one quick tug, he pulled her shirt over her head and wrapped his arms tightly around her, pressing his body against hers. “Now this is the kind of body heat I was talking about.”  
“Mmm, I see your point, now.”  
“That’s not the only point you’ll be seeing.”  
Cameron giggled and then gasped in surprise when he tugged at the waistband of her yoga pants and pulled them down her legs. “It works better when we’re _completely_ naked,” he said.  
“I know how it works. I’m a doctor too, you know.”  
“MMm and you’re the only one I want to play doctor with.”  
“Likewise,” she whispered as she licked the outer shell of his ear.   
Once all their clothes were removed, they were tangled up in each other. House enjoyed discovering her body, touching and learning all the spots that made her moan or gasp.  
“MMm...House...so good.” She stretched luxuriously like a cat and smiled up at him. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted this?” Her foot slid down his calf and he groaned.  
“Your feet are cold.”  
Her hands slid down his back and gently squeezed his ass cheeks. “Yeah, well, so is your butt.”  
He grinned and nipped at her neck as he grabbed her ass and pressed her core against his very hard cock.  
“MMmm...House..yesssssss….”  
“What do you want?”  
“You.”  
“What else?”  
“I want you to make love to me….right here…”  
“I want that, too. I’ve always wanted that. Which only leaves us with one question.”  
“I’m clean and I’m on the pill.”  
“I get tested every six months and I’m clean. Haven’t been with anyone in a long time.”  
She played with the hairs on his chest. “Define long.”  
“Well, I got tested five months ago but I haven’t been with anyone in almost a year.”  
“Oh? One of your hookers?”  
House smirked. “Hey, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.”  
“Sex with a woman? Thanks but no thanks.”  
He laughed. “Damn, and I had such high hopes for you.”  
She pinched his ass and it was his turn to gasp. “You are so barking up the wrong tree.”  
House grabbed her hands and pinned them down on the mattress.  
She squirmed, her wet core rubbing against him.  
“House….don’t tease….”  
“You’re the one rubbing yourself against me,” he laughed. “But I think I can put an end to your suffering.”   
Cameron’s eyes flickered closed when he pressed inside her and she wrapped her arms around him.  
“Yesssssss….oh my God, House….”  
Their bodies were soon slicked with sweat as they moved together in a perfect rhythm. Cameron had never felt so in sync with anyone else and she savored the whole experience.  
House had hoped to last a little longer but it was hopeless. No matter what he did to distract himself, he found himself losing control quickly. He held Cameron as close to him as he could as they reached their peak and fell over the edge together.  
After a few minutes, Cameron opened her eyes to find House lying next to her, looking all too pleased with himself.  
“You’re amazing,” he whispered as he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.  
“So are you.”  
“I hope the reality was as good as the fantasy.”  
“It was much better, which is saying a lot because I’ve had many fantasies about you over the years.” She gently stroked his cheek and her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “And then I heard you died in that fire and….I was lost for months.”  
“Hey,” he whispered as he placed his hand over hers. “I’m right here.”  
“I know. But I think that was the beginning of the end of my marriage. Greg was just a baby when I went back to Princeton for your funeral.”  
“I heard about what you said.”  
“I meant it.”  
“I know.”  
She shivered and pulled the blankets over them.   
“Cold?” he asked as he pulled her even closer.   
“Yeah.”  
“I’ll throw on a few more logs.”  
She admired his naked form as he got up and walked across the room. He tossed in a few more logs and moved things around a little until the fire was roaring once again.


	8. Chapter 8

A snow storm blew in on Christmas Eve. The flakes fell thick and fast. House and Cameron stayed in the den with the fire blazing. They laid on the mattress wrapped in blankets as they watched television.  
“No tree,” House commented. “We never did put it up. It’s still in the box.”  
Cameron shrugged and snuggled closer to him. They no longer bothered with clothes while inside except heavy bathrobes and thick socks to wear to the bathroom or kitchen. Cameron only got dressed to go outside for more wood. Whenever they needed wood for the fire, House’s leg always hurt much worse and he used his big blue eyes to his advantage. He knew that she knew what he was doing because she always smiled at him with narrowed eyes.  
“Did you ever have one before?” she asked.  
“Before what?”  
“When you were living in Princeton.”  
“I did when Stacy lived with me. She loves Christmas. She decorated the whole apartment and cooked a big dinner on Christmas Day. We usually invited my parents, her dad along with Wilson and the current wife. It was exhausting.”  
He was silent for a few minutes. “What about you and the three hubbies?”  
Cameron pinched his nipple which made him squawk. “I wasn’t married long enough to husband number one. Husband number two and I spent Christmas with my parents. Husband number three and I alternated Christmas’ with my parents and his parents. Once Greg got older, we spent Christmas morning at home and then went to someone’s house for the rest of the day.”  
“So, I guess this Christmas is a let down.”  
She propped herself up on her elbow and looked at him. “Aside from Greg’s first Christmas, this is the best.” Leaning down, she kissed him. When she pulled back, she smiled. “Let’s do presents right now.”  
“I haven’t wrapped yours,” he said as he reached out to stroke her hair.  
“Wrapping is overrated.”  
He smiled. “Okay.”  
The got up, put on their robes and heavy socks, and went to their bedrooms. House grabbed the bag with Cameron’s presents inside and went back to the den. She was sitting in the middle of his king size mattress with two bags and a big smile. He sat down across from her and put his bag in his lap.  
“You outdid me,” he said with an exaggerated pout.  
“Oh, who cares?” she laughed as she handed him the two bags.  
“Hopefully you won’t,” he said as he gave her the bag.  
He reached into one bag and pulled out a box of Montecristo No. 2 cigars. Looking from her to the box, he blinked in surprise. “These are primo,” he said.  
“Look in the other bag,” she smiled.  
He reached in and pulled out a bottle of Macallan Rare Cask. “You’re spoiling me,” he breathed.  
“I remember that you like a good cigar and a better whiskey,” she said.  
“Look in your bag,” he told her. “Try not to let your disappointment show, though. I didn’t get you two great gifts.”  
She pulled a velvet box out and looked up at him with wide, panicked eyes. “This isn’t…”  
“A ring? No.”  
She breathed out and opened the box. “Oh, God, House. It’s beautiful.”  
He smiled hesitantly as she lifted the necklace out and held it up. The single diamond gleamed in the light from the fireplace. She fastened it around her neck and smiled at him with tears shimmering in her eyes.  
“I love it,” she told him and leaned forward to kiss him.  
He returned the kiss and pushed her robe off her shoulders. Kissing his way down her neck, he let her remove his robe. Her hands trailed over his skin and he tossed her robe toward the couch. Slowly and reverently, he made love to her, relishing the sounds of her moans as her orgasm shuddered through her. His own orgasm followed and he buried his face in her neck. Once they caught their breath, they burrowed beneath the covers, their bodies entwined.  
“Move in with me. Well, _us_.” House said as they lay quietly, basking in their post-coital bliss.  
Her eyes opened and she stared at him. “What? You can’t be serious.”  
“And if I am?”  
“House...I can’t just pack up and leave the country.”  
“Why not? You did just that to come out here and find me.”  
“That’s different.”  
“How?”  
“I wasn’t sure you would let me stay. I wasn’t sure _this_ would happen,” she pointed out. “And I have a child to consider.”  
“So, he comes to visit you here instead of your place in Chicago. We could fly him up here…”  
“He’s six! And Ryan will NOT let him fly alone. Hell, I wouldn’t let him fly alone. Anyway, I’m sorry House, but I can’t move up here.”  
“Even though it’s what you want.”  
“Everyone has to make sacrifices. My son has to come first. I’m not going to apologize for that.”  
“I didn’t say you had to. I just hoped…”  
“What?”  
“Well you went through all that trouble to find me. You got to make your fantasy a reality, which you claimed was the best sex you’ve ever had, and now you’re going to leave, just like that. You finally got what you wanted. So you don’t need me anymore. I get it.” House tried to keep the hurt and disappointment out of his voice but he knew he failed.  
“No, that’s not it.”  
“Then what is it? Please, tell me, because I don’t know why in hell you’d want to go back to Chicago when you can have your heart’s desire here.”  
“I have a child, House. A son. I love you but...I rarely see him now. If I left the country, Ryan would go to court and take away all my visitation rights. He’s my baby.”  
House rolled away and looked up at the ceiling.  
“If you want to go, then go.”  
“I don’t want to go,” Cameron whispered. “I _have_ to go.”  
House shook his head and got up. Looking down at her, she saw the hurt and anger in his eyes. He turned and went to his room. When he returned, he was fully dressed.  
“Get dressed,” he told her.


	9. Chapter 9

Cameron looked up at him and slowly got up. She trudged into her room and got warm clothes. Then she went to the bathroom, turned on the heater and showered. Once she was dressed, she went back to the den.  
The mattress was still on the floor covered in tangled sheets and blankets. House sat on the couch smoking a cigar and drinking straight from the bottle of Macallans. She moved to sit down next to him and he turned his head away.  
“I never thought beyond finding you,” she began softly. “It was never my intent to hurt you. I’m sorry.”  
He blew out some smoke rings and took another swig from the bottle. “I get it. The kid is important. He should be.” He tilted the bottle and watched the amber liquid slide back and forth. “I’m used to this. Every woman leaves.”  
Cameron felt the pain of tears in her throat. He was right. Every woman he ever loved left him. She wanted so much to be different.  
“I’ll leave,” she said as tears slid down her face.  
“Put the mattress back before you leave,” he told her.  
“You’ll freeze in your bedroom,” she protested.  
“Just do it!” he snarled.  
She bent to get a grip on it.  
“Throw the sheets and blankets in the fire,” he told her. “I don’t want any trace of you here.”  
Dropping the mattress, she ran from the room and didn’t stop until she was outside. She stood under the porch and watched the snow fall obscuring the trees as it piled up. Turning, she went into the lower level of the chalet and found the landline. Luckily she remembered Wilson’s cell number. He answered on the third ring. Sobbing, she told him everything.  
“I’ll be there in as soon as I can,” he told her. “DO NOT leave him alone. Do you understand, Allison? He cannot be left alone.” He was silent for a beat. “I thought you’d be different.”  
Before she could answer, the line went dead. She made her way back upstairs.  
“I wanted to be different,” she whispered to herself.  
\-------------------------  
Wilson didn’t arrive until the next morning. He entered to find House passed out and snoring on the couch and Cameron watching him from a chair by the fire. Her face was blotchy and red from crying and she cradled a half empty bottle of Macallans. He walked over to House and checked his pulse. It beat slow and even beneath his fingers. Then he turned to Cameron and put his hands on his hips.  
“I called for a car to come get you and booked you on a flight back to Illinois,” he said evenly. “Go pack. I’ll take care of him.”  
Slowly, she got up from the chair and put the bottle on the mantle. She looked at Wilson and started to say something but he held up his hand.  
“There’s nothing to say,” he told her. He paused for a moment and then decided to be honest with her.  
“He has been in love with you since the day you walked into his office for your job interview. He purposely didn’t pursue you because he didn’t want to poison you. That’s what he thinks. He thinks he poisons people. So, he tried to make it work with Stacy and then Cuddy. Even his wife left him. I honestly thought you’d stay because I know how much you love him. Do you remember what I said to you before that date? That if he opens up to you and you hurt him there won’t be a next time?”  
Cameron nodded.  
“Well, you did it.”   
He turned away and went into the kitchen. Cameron looked at House. Walking over to him, she leaned down and kissed his cheek. He jerked slightly, she pulled back and then quietly left.  
\-------------------------  
Cameron returned to Chicago. She hired a new lawyer and a private detective. The detective got proof Ryan cheated on her while still married and that he and his girlfriend were selling drugs from their house. Cameron got her son back and Ryan and his whore (as Cameron referred to her) went to jail.   
Every time Cameron thought of House, all she could think about was the way she left. House stayed in his room. Her last memory of him was his stony face when she glanced up and saw him pass the guest room where she was packing her clothes.  
Every night after her son was tucked into his bed and sleeping, she would curl up with the t-shirt she took from House and cry. She wanted nothing more than to take her son and go to House but she was too scared. She knew she broke his heart but hers was just as broken. After waiting for so long to be with House, she only got a few days of intense happiness.  
\-------------------------  
The snow finally melted and spring arrived. Wilson tried everything he could to get House up and out but nothing worked. House simply sat in the den staring at the wall. He ate whatever Wilson put in front of him and hobbled back and forth to the bathroom but that was all. He didn’t speak, shower or change his clothes. His hair and beard were long and scraggly and his eyes were empty. Wilson was afraid House might have to go back to Mayfield. He suggested it once and it was the only time House acknowledged him. He looked up at Wilson, shrugged and went back to contemplating the wall.  
Finally Wilson had enough. He grabbed his cell phone and walked outside. A cool wind blew the fragrance of flowers and pine trees past him. The sun shone down from a brilliant blue sky. It was all beautiful and peaceful but Wilson was too angry to notice any of it. He dialed a number and waited. In the distance, he could hear a car approaching. Growling in frustration when the call went to voicemail, he looked up to see a small black car pull up to the chalet. He frowned. They weren’t expecting anyone. He raced down the stairs to explain to the driver that this was private property when the back door opened and a small boy jumped out. Wilson stopped and stared at him. The boy raced up to him and smiled.   
“I’m Greg,” he told Wilson as he hopped up and down. “I gotta pee.”  
Wilson looked from the child to Cameron. She stood with two large suitcases as the car pulled away. Her hair was longer and she looked tired but resolute.  
“He really does need to pee,” Cameron said as she pulled the suitcases over the uneven ground.  
“Come on,” Wilson said to Greg. “I'll show you where the bathroom is.”  
He took one of the suitcases from Cameron and they followed Greg up the stairs. Once inside, he directed Cameron’s son to the bathroom and then turned to face her.  
“You can’t stay here!” he whispered furiously. “You broke him! He hasn’t spoken since you left six months ago!”  
“He asked me to move in and I am,” she told him as she began to wheel her bag past him. “I just had to wait until Greg finished the school year.”  
He followed her and grabbed her arm. At that moment, Greg came out of the bathroom. He had blonde hair and wide green eyes. He looked at Wilson.  
“Are you Wilson?” he asked.  
Wilson nodded.   
“Mommy says we’re going to live with you and House and that I’m going to a new school and she’s going to work at your hospital,” Greg told him and smiled.   
Wilson released Cameron’s arm. She continued down the hall to House’s bedroom.  
“She has to share a room with House because there aren’t enough bedrooms,” Greg continued. “That way I can still have my own room. Do you know which one is mine?”  
WIlson stared helplessly at the child and then finally nodded. “It’s this way,” he said.  
He led Greg to the guest room.  
“Ooo!” Greg breathed. “It’s got a big bed and there’s a big glass door and everything!”  
Wilson smiled slightly at his enthusiasm. “Yes there is. Why don’t you start unpacking while I go talk to your mom?”  
Greg grabbed his suitcase from Wilson and let it slam onto the floor before kneeling in front of it. As he unzipped it, he looked up at Wilson.  
“Where is House?”  
Wilson pasted a smile on his face. “You’ll meet him soon.”  
Greg nodded and flipped open his suitcase.  
Wilson made certain he was doing well on his own and then went to House’s room. Cameron was nearly finished unpacking. She hung up some clothes in House’s closet and then closed her suitcase. Looking a WIlson with defiance, she said again, “He asked me to move in.”  
“So you’ve said. Although I’m pretty sure he didn’t mean six months later out of the blue! You have to go back to Chicago. I don’t know what he will do when he sees you. When Cuddy broke up with him, he drove his car through her house! He loves you and you broke his heart!”  
“Get out,” House rasped from the doorway.   
Wilson looked at Cameron. “You see? I’ll drive you into town.”  
“Wilson, get out.”  
He turned to look at House in shock. “What are you going to do?”  
House limped into the bedroom and sank down on the bed. “Well, I’m not going to drive my car into the place if that’s what you’re worried about.”  
“Are you sure?”  
House nodded. Cameron stood looking at House. Wilson shook his head and left, closing the door behind him.  
House shifted so that he could stretch out on the bed. “See you got the kid back.”  
“Yes,” Cameron responded quietly.  
“What happens now? Am I supposed to take you back?”   
When Cameron didn’t answer, he turned to look at her. She stood with her hands clasped and her head bowed. “I hope you will.”  
“Why should I?” he asked quietly. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do anymore. I knew what to do about Stacy. I even knew what to do about Cuddy. It was a total clusterfuck but I knew why I was doing it. I don’t know what to do with you.”  
“May I sit on the bed?” she asked.  
“Yes.”  
She took off her sandals and climbed up on the bed. Settling cross legged beside him, she looked at him. He rolled onto his side so he could see her.  
“You’re still wearing the necklace I gave you. Why?”  
“Because you gave it to me,” she told him as her hand strayed up to toy with it.  
He stared unblinkingly at her. Somehow, she had to get through to him.  
“I tried to stay away,” she began. “But I couldn’t stop thinking about you and how right it felt being with you. I love you an-”  
“Did you take my t-shirt?” he asked suddenly.  
Cameron blinked rapidly and shook her head slightly. “Ummm, yes.”  
“Did you bring it with you?”  
She nodded.  
“Why’d you take it?” he asked sounding genuinely curious. “No woman ever took something of mine when she left me.”  
Cameron tucked her hair behind her ear. “I wanted...something. Something that smelled like you.”  
“You had me. I smell like me.”  
“I know. I’m sorry I hurt you.”  
“Are you?”  
“Yes.”  
He rolled onto his back and looked up at the ceiling. “I thought letting Stacy go was painful. I thought Cuddy breaking up with me because I took a pill was painful. It’s interesting that you leaving is the most pain I’ve ever experienced. It’s even worse than the pain in my leg.” He turned his head and looked at her. “I didn’t think pain like that was possible.”  
Cameron began to cry. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”  
“You told me you couldn’t leave Chicago because of your son. Now you have your son and you’re back. I don’t know what to do. Wilson is angry. Am I supposed to be angry? Happy? Because I was happy when you were here before. I didn’t think I could be that happy.”  
Unable to speak, Cameron sat and cried. Not sure what else to say or do, he simply let her cry.


	10. Chapter 10

Wilson stood outside House’s bedroom door until he felt a light touch on his arm. He looked down at Greg.  
“Where’s Mommy?” he asked.  
“She’s talking to House.”  
“House is also a noun,” Greg informed him. “I learned that at school. My teacher said it can be a noun or a name.”  
“Yes it can. Are you hungry?”  
Greg nodded so Wilson took him to the kitchen and made him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  
“Do you want the crust on or off?” Wilson asked him.  
“On. Are you going to eat with me?”  
“Sure.”  
Wilson made a sandwich for himself and looked down at Greg.   
“Does your mother let you eat potato chips?”  
Greg tilted his head. “Sometimes. I usually have some carrots or celery and an apple or orange. Stuff like that. But I like chips. I also like Coke.”  
Wilson smiled.  
“Well, how about a Coke and some Doritos to eat with your sandwich?”  
Greg nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah!”  
Wilson sent him to the dining room and then brought in their lunch. Once they were seated, Greg carefully picked up his glass and took a long drink.  
“I love Coke but Mommy doesn’t let me drink it too often. My daddy loved Coke, too. But he liked the kind that looked like sugar.”  
Wilson paused with his sandwich half-way to his mouth.   
Greg munched on a Dorito and swallowed. “I wasn’t allowed to have that Coke. That was for him and his friends. His friends paid him for the special Coke. Now he’s in jail and I get to live with Mommy all the time. I love living with Mommy. Even if I wake up during the night, she’s there. Before when that happened, Daddy wasn’t always there and I was alone. Is that why you live with House? So you won’t be alone?”  
Wilson put his sandwich back on his plate. He looked at Cameron’s son and nodded.  
“Do you have the special Coke, too?” Greg asked.  
“No,” Wilson told him. “No special coke here.”  
“Good. Daddy and Cheryl always acted funny when they sniffed up the special Coke.”  
“Umm, and who is Cheryl?”  
“She was Daddy’s special friend. She sniffed the special Coke all the time. She is my friend Atlas’ mommy. He lives with his daddy now.”  
He said it so casually that Wilson simply stared at him. What judge would award custody to a man who sold and used drugs in front of his child? How had Cameron not known that? Wilson closed his eyes. It suddenly made sense now. She found out, had her ex-husband arrested and came to the one place she felt safe and happy.  
“Aren’t you hungry, Wilson?”  
Wilson nodded and took a large bite of his sandwich, making a growling sound which made Greg laugh.   
\-------------------------  
Cameron continued to cry quietly while House watched her. He glanced at his watch.  
“Aren’t you tired of crying yet? It’s been fifteen minutes.” She sniffled a few more times and blew her nose. “Are you going to stay?” he asked.  
She looked up at him. “Do you want me to stay?”  
“I never wanted you to leave.”  
“You have to believe that I wanted to stay. I won’t leave again.”  
“How can I be sure of that?”  
“I’ve always come back, haven’t I? Every time I Ieft, I always came back to you.”  
He nodded. “You did. Until next time...”  
Cameron didn’t know how to react. This was so unlike him and she was responsible for it. He seemed so lost and in so much pain.  
“Do you trust me?” she asked.  
He shrugged.  
“Can you learn to trust me?”  
Again, he shrugged.  
“May I lie down next to you?”  
He nodded so she stretched out next to him. She folded her hands on her stomach and looked up at the ceiling. The afternoon sun lit the room and highlighted all the grey in his hair and beard.  
“Tell me what I have to do so you can trust me again,” she said quietly.  
He was silent for a long time. Cameron simply laid beside him listening to him breathe. Then she heard Greg and Wilson on the porch outside.  
“Wilson’s playing with mini-Greg,” House commented. “He looks like you. Mini Greg not Wilson.”  
“That’s what people tell me and I think he does. He doesn’t look anything like his father.”  
“How’d you get custody of the kid?”  
“His father was selling drugs. I hired a PI to get anything on him that I could use in court.”  
“Hubby number three in jail?”  
“Yes.”  
Silence descended again. Cameron could no longer hear Wilson and Greg. She wasn’t worried because she knew Wilson would never let anything happen to her son.  
“You didn’t tell me what I need to do so you can trust me again,” she said finally. “Do you need time to think about it?”  
“No.”  
She shifted so she lay on her side facing him. Cautiously she reached out and put her hand on his chest. He didn’t move.  
“Are you going to stay?” he asked without looking at her. “I have to know you won’t leave again.”  
“Yes. I’m not leaving again. I’m here to stay.”  
He turned his head slightly and looked at her. “Why?”  
“Because I can’t live without you. The only reason I got up each day was because Greg needed me.”  
He continued to look at her. “I need time. You can stay, but I need time.”  
She bit her lip. “I’m not going anywhere.”   
“You can sleep in here. I’ll sleep on the couch. It’s pretty comfortable.”  
She nodded. “Will you consider sleeping in here at some point?”  
He nodded and slowly sat up. “I should go shower.” He looked at her over his shoulder. “Are you going to stay in here?”  
“I could go fix you lunch while you shower.”  
He nodded and went into his bathroom, closing the door quietly.  
As each day passed and it seemed that Cameron was truly there to stay as promised, House began to relax and act more like himself. He taught Greg how to burp the alphabet much to Cameron’s secret delight but outward disapproval. He walked Greg to and from his bus stop once school started and then helped him with his homework. He played video games with Wilson and soon began annoying his best friend with pranks. The online clinic kept him busy while everyone was gone though he often called Cameron where she worked at the local hospital, to do DDXs with him.  
\-------------------------  
It had been a year since she returned with Greg and Cameron came home from work tired and annoyed. She thought she had a good grasp of French at this point but she apparently didn’t. She wrote down the wrong medication for a patient who went into anaphylactic shock. Having to switch back and forth from French to English was hard and usually her mistakes were minor. She loved working in the Immunology department and got along with all her co-workers but trying to remember French was proving difficult.   
When she got home, she tossed her bag on the floor next to the front door and went straight to the kitchen. She grabbed a bottle of wine and filled a large wine glass nearly full.  
“Somebody had a bad day,” House commented from the doorway.  
“Fucking French language,” she growled. “I wrote down the wrong meds and nearly killed a patient. I need this,” she said as she raised her glass, “and a hot bath.”  
“I can get the bath ready while you proceed to get drunk,” House offered with a slight smirk.  
Cameron leaned back against the counter and took a long drink of wine.   
“HEY!” House shouted from the bathroom. “Where do you keep those balls you throw in the water?”  
Cameron poured some more wine in her glass and pushed away from the counter. She nearly collided with House in the doorway.   
“Where are they?” he asked again. “And no peeking until I’m done. You can go put your feet up in the den.”  
“My bath bombs are in a basket on top of the dresser.”  
“Got it,” he said and limped down the hallway.  
“Use your cane!” she shouted after him.  
Cameron went into the den, put her wine glass on a side table and kicked her shoes off. Then she pulled her phone out of her pocket and called Wilson.  
“Hello, Allison,” he answered. “Greg and I are fine.”  
“I know. How does he like Nova Scotia?”  
“He loves it. We’re just about to go out for a walk. Do you want to talk to him?”  
“Of course,” she replied with a smile.  
There was some commotion then Greg came on the line. “Hi, Mom! Wilson is going to teach me how to fish! And we might go see some puffins. There kinda like penguins but more colorful. We had maple bacon for breakfast but I don’t like it very much. Oh! Tell House there are lighthouses here but I don’t think they’re haunted. Me and Wilson are gonna check, though. Do you miss me?”  
Cameron laughed. “I do. I’m glad you and Wilson are having so much fun. I love you.”  
“Love you, too! Au revoir!”  
The call disconnected and Cameron put her phone on the coffee table. She put her feet up beside her phone. Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes. She was on the verge of sleep when House sat down beside her. Blinking, she raised her head and smiled at him.  
“Bath’s ready,” he said as he rotated his cane between his palms.  
“Oh thank God. You are a lifesaver,” she said as she stopped in front of him and placed both hands on his face, giving him a soft peck on his mouth. Just before House could respond, she trotted off her bath.


	11. Chapter 11

After thirty minutes, House stood outside the bathroom door and knocked. “Hey, you didn’t swirl down the drain, did you?”  
“Nope. Not yet.”  
“If you don’t want to end up a wrinkly prune, you should get out. That is if you aren’t already in a raisinish state.”  
“I don’t want to get out.” Her voice was a mixture of petulance and mirth.  
“Don’t make me come in there, young lady.”  
He heard her giggle. “Is that supposed to be a threat? Or a promise?”  
“Just come out. I’ve got a good fire going now. You’ll be warm. And look in our closet.”  
Intrigued, she climbed out, wrapped a big, fluffy towel around her wet body and went to the bedroom closet. She found a thick, fuzzy bathrobe and flannel pajamas hanging up. Smiling, she took them out and changed.  
House was sitting in the living room smoking a cigar and drinking Scotch when she came in. “I poured you another glass of wine,” he said in between puffs.  
“Thanks,” she said as she took a seat on the couch next to him.  
“Like your jammies?”  
“I love them. They’ll be nice and warm to sleep in.”  
“That’s the idea. Last year you said you were freezing most of the time.”  
“Well yeah, the furnace was broken. It was also December and not June.”  
“It was cozy though.”  
She smiled back at him. “Yes it was. I like cozy.”  
“Even with a misanthropic prick like me?”  
“Especially with you,” she grinned and gave him a playful peck on the cheek. Or rather, she aimed for his cheek, but House had other ideas. He turned his head at the perfect moment and her lips landed exactly where he intended them to. He wasn’t about to let her get away this time, and he held the back of her head as he deepened the kiss. He felt her tension at first but it quickly melted away as they continued to kiss and hold each other.  
“I’ve been wanting you to do that since Wilson and Greg left for their trip,” she whispered, partly out of breath.  
“Whose idea do you think it was for them to go on that trip?”  
Cameron laughed and threw her arms around his neck, peppering his face with kisses. “I knew it!”  
“Knew what?”  
“That you don’t hate me.”  
“I never did.”  
She sighed and continued to stroke his cheek. “I’m sorry. For everything.”  
“I know. I’m sorry, too.” Then he gave his head a dramatic shake as if to clear it. “I think a moonlight soak in the hot tub is in order.”  
“Let’s go!” she laughed pulling him up from the couch. “It won’t be the same without the snow.”  
“I think the phrase, It won’t be the same without the snow is going to be said a lot this weekend,” he mumbled as he followed her outside.  
Once they were naked, they slipped into the hot tub. House leaned his head back as Cameron turned on the jets and the warm, pulsing water began to work its magic on his leg. He suddenly spluttered and coughed when Cameron splashed him.  
“Oh, you are going to pay for that, little girl,” he growled. He was on her side of the tub in a flash.  
She took the advantage she had and gave him a long kiss. His mouth was warm as his tongue slipped against hers. As he kissed her, he raised one hand and pushed her beneath the water. She came up laughing and flicked water at him. He grabbed her and smiled as her wet body slid against his.  
“You’re evil,” she laughed as she struggled against him to get free, but he was much stronger and held her tightly against him.  
“Funny, Chase said that very thing to me once.”  
She smirked. “He was right about that. Now let me enjoy this nice warm water.”  
“In a minute,” he said before his lips came down on hers.  
“Mhm..yes!” Cameron cried out against his lips. After kissing her passionately, he began to move back to his own side.  
“No, not yet.”  
“I thought you were enjoying this nice warm water,” he teased.  
“Just a little while longer? Make love to me….right here...right now.”  
“This is not the best place. We should go inside. Wilson will get pissy if we defile the pristine waters of the hot tub.”  
Pouting, Cameron followed him into the house. However, as soon as they got inside, House slammed the door closed and backed her up against it, kissing the breath out of her. His warm mouth immediately sought out her nipple and she cried out. Her fingers buried in his hair as he feasted on each nipple and her legs wrapped tightly around his waist. He seemed to have no problem holding her up against the door as his lips eventually worked their way up her neck to find her mouth once again and then he stepped back and carried her the three steps to the nearest flat surface which was the kitchen table.  
“Oh God…” she said as he laid her across it, brushing whatever had been on the table off to the side. It was so raunchy and so feverish that she was powerless to stop him at that point. She felt too good to stop, and House didn’t seem to be able to stop himself, even if he wanted to. His lips never left hers as he pulled her legs apart and rubbed his stiff cock against her damp core. She had fantasies about him taking her over his desk just like this and so far the reality was a hell of a lot hotter than any fantasy she had been able to think up. The only sounds in the kitchen came from them as they reacquainted themselves with each other’s bodies  
“House…” she breathed.  
“No talking,” he growled as pulled her to the edge of the table.  
His lips crashed on hers once more at the same time he thrust slowly into her warm and wet passage. He didn’t move for a few moments, letting her adjust, but she arched her back and gripped the edge of the table for support just in case.  
“God…” he groaned as he began slowly, savoring the moment with each gentle thrust. Her legs wrapped around his hips once again, bringing him closer to her.  
She closed her eyes and let him do as he wished. He felt so good, so right, as he completely filled her. Any emptiness she felt before was now replaced with complete love and adoration for the man who had stolen her heart years ago and ruined her for any other man. House was now hers, and she wasn’t going to let him go ever again. For that she was certain. She needed him as much as he needed her.  
House wanted to prolong things as long as possible but it was futile. He soon found himself reaching the edge and he knew Cameron was right there with him. With one last final thrust, they both fell over the edge and the feelings and emotions washed over them like a tidal wave.  
“I’m never going to be able to look at this table the same way again,” he murmured in her ear as he buried his face against her shoulder.  
Cameron breathed out a laugh as she reached up and gently played with the hair at the nape of his neck. “Me neither.”  
“I’m hungry,” he murmured again, still not moving.  
“I should think so.”  
He carefully got up and helped her to her feet. “Let’s go into town for dinner. There’s not much here. We should probably get more groceries, too.”  
Cameron nodded. “Yeah. Wilson and Greg will be back tomorrow so we should get some food in the house.”  
There was a moment of awkwardness and Cameron felt like she needed to say something.  
“House?”  
He paused in the doorway of the kitchen area. “Yeah?”  
She walked over to him and gently placed her hand against his stubbled cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch.  
“I love you.”  
His eyes opened and he gave her a small smile. “I know. And in case you’re wondering, the feeling is mutual.”  
That was probably the closest thing to an “I love you” as she was going to get and it warmed her from the inside out.  
“That’s all I needed to hear.”  
**The End.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this, the kudos and the kind comments. We greatly appreciate all of you!!


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